Everything Changes
by starrry-eyed
Summary: Based on the preview for "By the Light of the Moon". D/E. Reviews appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

Elena hadn't left her room in two days. She couldn't believe it was real. Stefan was locked in the tomb with Katherine, and Bonnie wasn't anywhere near strong enough, even with help, to get him out. Jeremy had apologized at least a hundred and fifty times, but Elena couldn't blame him. She couldn't blame anyone but herself. After all, she was the one who had taken off, and caused Damon to come running after her. If it hadn't been for her, Damon would have been around to stop Stefan from doing something as stupid as running into the tomb.

Stefan. She missed him. His soft skin, his comforting touch. She wondered if she'd ever experience it again. The very idea of him being gone forever was too much for her to bear. Tears filled her eyes once more, and she curled up into a ball in her bed. Her brown eyes shut as she attempted to fall asleep. As she was about to drift off, she heard a noise. Someone was coming to check on her again. She groaned, not wanting to open her eyes and find Jenna standing there with more comfort food that she wouldn't eat, trying to coax her out of hiding, not wanting to find Jeremy with another speech on how it was all his fault and how he'd do whatever it took to fix it.

But when she opened her eyes, it was Damon standing at the end of her bed, a sad expression on his face.

"Go away," Elena said firmly, rolling over and closing her eyes again.

"No." He shook his head and sat down at the end of her bed. "You can't stay in here forever, Elena."

"Why not?" She asked icily.

"Because it's not going to get Stefan out of there, and it's not going to make you feel any better."

"And you know a way to do either of those things?"

"No," he admitted slowly. "But I'm going to try to figure one out."

"To get Stefan out or to make me feel better?"

"Both." Damon stood, and leaned over to grab her arms.

"Let go of me." she struggled, but he pulled her to her feet without an ounce of difficulty. Defeated, she folded her arms and glared at him. "There, I'm up now. Happy?"

"Not really, no." His blue eyes gazed down at her in a way that was hard to read, which wasn't unusual. "Now, get ready, and come with me. You're going to stay at the boarding house for a few days, because we're going to spend every waking moment working on this."

"Why?" She didn't budge an inch.

"Do you want to figure out how to get Stefan out of the tomb or not?"

"Alright, you win." She rolled her eyes and began to move towards her closet.

"Don't forget to shower." He added, and she glared at him again. "It only shows a little." He said defensively.

* * *

Within forty five minutes, Elena and Damon were on their way back to the boarding house.

"Bonnie and Ric are meeting us here," Damon told her as they arrived. He pushed open the door, and held it for her as she walked in. He instantly noticed her fallen expression. "I'm sorry."

"It's already weird without him here." She said stiffly, holding back tears.

"You can take your bag upstairs." He offered awkwardly. "You can sleep in any room you want."

Without responding, Elena headed up the stairs and into Stefan's room. It was like being punched in the gut. She turned on her heel instantly and walked out, heading down the hall. She picked the next room that looked decent, and wandered in. It seemed comfortable enough. She swung her bag down and lay back on the large bed. It _was _rather nice...

"Not this again." Damon groaned and tugged Elena up and out of bed for the second time that day.

"What?" She shook his hand off of her arm.

"You're taking a nap, and we're downstairs trying to figure out a way to get _your _little boyfriend back."

"_Your_ brother, too," she snapped back, but then hesitated. "I'm sorry. It's hard for both of us."

"Yes," he smirked. "Yes, it is."

Elena sighed and headed downstairs, Damon following close behind. Alaric and Bonnie were both seated on couches pouring over old books.

"Hi, Elena," Bonnie smiled at her awkwardly, and then glanced back down at her book, muttering to herself. "There has to be a loophole."

"Hi, Bonnie," Elena responded slowly. "What can I do to help?"

"Just start looking." Damon replied dryly. "It's not like we have anything to go on."

Ignoring him, Elena grabbed an untouched book from the pile and flipped it open. Nothing. She turned the page and read more. Nothing.

Five hours and twenty books later, discouragement was oozing from the room.

Bonnie closed the book she had been reading, and without looking up, mumbled, "I don't think there's anything we can do until I find a witch as powerful as Grams was to help me reverse it."

"How long will that take?" Alaric asked, setting his book back down on the table too.

"Could take years." Damon responded cheerfully. Elena glared at him.

"We're not giving up." She insisted, standing. "This is Stefan we're talking about."

"At least he has company." Damon grinned as he stood. Elena's palm met his face before he could deflect it. No one spoke as she disappeared up the stairs.

"Well, that was interesting." Damon said, rubbing his cheek where she'd slapped him.

"Stop messing with her," Alaric said firmly. "She's pretty upset right now, Damon."

"Oh, I'll do what I want." Damon's eyes glinted. "But we're going to have to postpone this little gathering for now. I guess we have an over-emotional teenager to deal with."

"She's my best friend." Bonnie snapped. "And even though I don't like your kind, I'll do what it takes to make her feel better."

"Is that so?" Damon smiled and lifted his eyebrows.

"Come on, Bonnie," Alaric said comfortingly. "We better get going."

"Just leave her alone, Damon." Bonnie hissed as they left the boarding house. Damon rolled his eyes and poured himself a glass of whiskey. He chugged it easily, and set it down on the table. It was time to go calm the girl down. He sauntered up the stairs, wondering if she'd be crying, sleeping, or ready to fight him again, which he didn't mind so much.

As he opened the door to the room she had chosen to stay in, he realized the answer was none of the above. Cold air blew into the room through the open window. She was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

It was a particularly cold night, and Elena was beginning to wish she'd grabbed a better coat before escaping from the house, but she hadn't had much time to think things through. She knew there was no solution. She knew she wasn't going to get to see Stefan again before she sacrificed herself to Klause. Outside of the tomb, of course. But there was nothing stopping her from leaving the tomb if she entered it. Katherine and Stefan were both probably weak and starving, so Stefan couldn't fight her, and Katherine couldn't kill her.

She reached the tomb more quickly than she'd planned. Good. As she headed down the steps, she heard a strange noise. Frightened for a moment, she flattened her back against the wall. There was someone beside Stefan or Katherine in the tomb. Or right outside of it. Which was about three feet from where Elena was hidden.

* * *

"Elena!" Damon called into the night as he ran. "Goddammit, Elena!"

She always ran off. If she hadn't run off, his stupid brother wouldn't have gotten locked in the tomb in the first place. He wasn't sure where she planned to go. To Klause to end it all, possibly. To Bonnie's, to steal more of her witch books. Or, his stomach dropped, to the tomb.

"Stupid." He muttered angrily to himself as he realized there was only one of those places she'd go to first. Running faster than he'd ever run, he headed towards the tomb.

* * *

"Katherine," Elena listened in, but couldn't quite make out the male voice that sounded vaguely familiar. "It's fine, no one's here."

"You can't be sure." Her voice made Elena shiver.

"It was just the wind."

"I think I smell blood." Elena held her breath, unsure of what to do. If there was another vampire down there, and he was on Katherine's side, Stefan could be seriously hurt. But she was no match for two vampires. On the other hand, if the other vampire wasn't in the tomb, she'd probably be dead within a matter of minutes if she moved, or if she didn't. But if the vampire was outside, he would have investigated, wouldn't he have?

"The smell probably lingered."

"You're probably right."

"So, you have a plan."

"Yes, but we have to kill a vampire to do it." She giggled. "As if that's going to be difficult."

So Stefan _was _in danger. Elena choked back her fear, and gripped the edge of the wall tightly.

"Tell me what it is."

"Not yet." She sounded so coy.

"We're going to run out of energy soon."

So he _was_ in the tomb, too. Elena inched closer, quietly, careful not to do anything clumsy.

"You're right," Katherine sighed. "But I want to use some of it first."

"Okay."

Elena was now as close as she could be without being seen. She could hear kissing. That meant, she hoped, that their eyes were closed.

"I love you, Katherine." The male said, and then they went back to kissing.

Taking her chances, she peeked her head around the corner.

"I love you, too, Stefan," Katherine said, pulling away from his lips and smiling.


	3. Chapter 3

"Elena!" shouted Damon from the top of the stairs.

"Elena!" Katherine smiled greedily. She was only wearing her bra and underwear, and Stefan was shirtless. Tears filled Elena's eyes, and she didn't move.

Damon was down the stairs in a second, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Come on."

"How could you?" she asked through her tears.

"I'm sorry, Elena..." Stefan said quickly. "Please forgive me." He begged.

"I don't know what the fuck you thought you were doing," Damon said, pulling Elena away from them. "But good luck getting out of there now."

"He doesn't mind staying in here with me," Katherine said, stroking Stefan's cheek. "Obviously."

"You!" Elena shouted, ripping herself away from Damon. "What did you do?"

"Me?" Katherine laughed. "It's not like vampires can use compulsion on other vampires."

She was right, and it stung.

"Come _on_, Elena," Damon demanded, and pulled her away.

"No," Stefan shook his head. "Wait. I need to talk to her. Give me a minute. I'll explain everything."

But Elena was already outside. Damon dragged her for awhile as she protested. Finally, he paused for a moment and she flopped down on the grass instantly, and lay back.

"This isn't a good place for a nap," Damon said sarcastically, but upon seeing her red eyes, sighed. "I'm sorry, Elena."

"Me too." she whispered.

"He's an idiot?" Damon offered, half smiling.

Elena half smiled back, but then frowned. "I'm interchangeable with Katherine. We're interchangeable."

"No," Damon shook his head angrily. "Don't you ever say that, Elena."

"It's true." Her voice was barely audible.

"No, Elena." She was on her feet again; he'd pulled her up, and was holding her tightly by the shoulders. "You are _not_ Katherine."

She nodded slowly, and he grabbed her arm as if asking permission to run with her again. She continued to nod, and he took off. They arrived back at his house pretty quickly. Again, he held the door for her as she walked in, but this time she just sat down on the couch and stared at the floor.

Damon disappeared into the other room. Elena barely noticed. Stefan and Katherine were back together. She'd been nothing but a temporary replacement for the vampire everyone seemed to be falling for.

"Elena." she looked up to see Damon holding a shot of some form of alcohol, and she smiled.

"Thanks, Damon." she chugged it in an instant and set the glass down. He sat beside her and did a shot of his own. "How'd you know where I was?"

"It wasn't exactly that hard to figure out." He looked over at her. "But you have got to stop doing this shit. Tonight could have ended a lot worse than it did."

"No," Elena shook her head. "No, it couldn't have."

"Typical," he rolled his eyes. "I sometimes forget that you're human. And a teenager."

"Whatever," she laughed a little and then went back to her serious face. "I didn't think I'd ever feel that."

"What?" Damon asked, getting up to pour them both another shot.

"The way it feels to watch someone you love, love someone else." It sounded as though the last couple words got caught in her throat.

"It was just sex." Damon said matter-of-factly, and Elena looked at him incredulously.

"He said he loved her." She said, humiliated. "And it's never 'just sex', Damon."

"It is for some of us." He smirked, and then paused. "He said he loved her?"

"Right before you got there."

"What are you going to do?" They both took their fourth shot.

"I'd say leave him down there with her for eternity, but I think they have a plan," she bit her lip. "But that's the last thing I want to deal with right now."

"How do you know that?" He pursed his lips.

"I eavesdropped for awhile." Elena sighed and slumped against the back of the couch. "Something about killing a vampire. It didn't sound like Stefan talking, but it was. I guess he's just changed. So much. Already."

"Killing a vampire?"

"Katherine also said it should be easy."

Damon grimaced as his mind put the pieces together. "They probably weren't planning on you going there that soon, but they knew you would eventually. And they knew I'd try to stop you, and possibly go in after you if I had to."

"Stefan wouldn't kill you, Damon." Elena said harshly.

"He wouldn't fall back in love with Katherine after being away from you for two days, and then _fuck_ her, either." Damon said angrily. Elena glanced down immediately, trying to stop her tears from coming out.

"I'm sorry." He said quickly, but Elena didn't respond. She was already marching up the stairs and into her room.

He walked into her room as she was shutting the window. "I'm sorry."

"Okay." She said. "Bye, Damon."

"You're not leaving." He insisted.

"No, you are." She gave him a quick, fake smile. "And I'm going to bed."

"That was a really stupid thing for me to say."

"Yes, it was."

She sat on the end of her bed and crossed her arms. Damon walked towards her slowly until he was standing right in front of her. Carefully, he pulled her to her feet once more. Their faces were inches apart from one another. He lifted her face up towards his.

"You didn't deserve that. What he did, or what I said. I'm sorry, for both of us."

He put his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. She nestled her head into his shoulder, and let a few tears run down her cheeks. They stayed like that for a few moments, and then she pulled away.

"I should sleep."

He leaned forward and kissed her. She glanced up at him, looking hurt. "I'm not Katherine." She said, shaking her head.


	4. Chapter 4

Damon felt stupid. She didn't even have the Stefan excuse anymore, but she was still coming up with new ones, which of course, still involved him. Fucking Stefan. Of course she wasn't Katherine, and Stefan was an idiot if he thought that a life with Katherine would make up for his inability to have one with Elena. He punched the kitchen wall angrily. He wished he'd met her first. He wished he'd made a better first impression. He wished she'd fallen for him first. His heart ached, and he so desperately wanted to turn off his emotions, to feel nothing. But then he'd kill her. And eventually, the feelings would have to come back on, and he'd never forgive himself for getting rid of the best thing in his life. He finished off his package of blood and headed to bed. He paused by her bedroom door and listened to her breathing. Uneven. She was still awake. He sighed, and went to his own room.

Elena felt stupid. She wasn't sure what she was doing. She was only supposed to be staying with Damon to help him with Stefan, but now that didn't appear to be an issue, and yet, she was still staying. She wasn't sure why she felt like kissing Damon so badly. It was never right to rebound, especially not with the brother of the person who was causing the rebound in the first place. But every time she closed her eyes, all she could see was Katherine, wound tightly around Stefan, kissing him deeply, his hands all over her. It was more passionate than he'd ever been with _her_. That realization was killing her. Elena rolled over and stared out the window she'd gone through only hours before. What if she'd never gone? Would Stefan have pretended everything was normal once she found a way to get him out of the tomb? Or would he have thanked her, and introduced her to his new girlfriend? It stung. It stung badly. But another thought crossed her mind, and as soon as it did, she wished it hadn't.

Damon couldn't sleep. It was never really easy for him, but tonight it was especially impossible. He wanted to go to Elena's room and put the memory he'd erased back in her head, so she'd know. So she'd know he meant it. So she'd know he knew she wasn't Katherine. He wondered what Stefan was doing. Katherine, probably. He started to smirk at this, but thought of Elena's crushed face, and instantly stopped. He thought about the plan. He wasn't sure how killing a vampire would help. He wasn't sure how anything would help unless they had a witch. But they didn't, did they? He remembered Bonnie's betrayal in the past, but decided she wouldn't help unless she was compelled. But she wore vervain. Didn't she?

Elena sighed furiously as Bonnie's phone went to voice mail for a second time.

"Dammit, Bonnie." She said angrily. She'd have to get Damon's help, but it was well after three A.M., and she knew it could probably wait until morning. Considering her possibilities, she tried calling Bonnie again. No answer. She threw her phone across the bed frustratedly, and stormed out of the room and down the hall. She'd just have to wake Damon up, no matter how awkward it would be. Her fist met the door. Knocking first was always the best idea, she decided, but after several knocks she still heard nothing. She eased open the door and wandered into the pitch black room.

"Damon?" She whispered. No answer. He was a very heavy sleeper, which surprised her. Stefan always attributed his being a light sleeper to his being a vampire, which clearly, wasn't true. Just like everything else he'd said. Her stomach dropped, but she tried to shake off the awful feeling. Her eyes were beginning to adjust to the dark, and she could see where Damon was sleeping. Careful not to run into anything her eyes might not yet have spotted, she walked over to his bed. She placed her hands on his shoulders and shook him. Hard.

"What?" Damon awoke from his feigned sleep. He had been wondering how badly she wanted to see him, and it appeared to be rather badly. Smiling, he sat up slowly. "Elena. What a pleasant surprise."

She rolled her eyes. "No, Damon. I need your help."

He sighed. "With what?"

"Bonnie."

So she didn't wear vervain.

"I think they're compelling her. I think she probably went there right before we did. They weren't surprised about smelling blood when I was down there. I don't know what spell it is that they want her to use, or why they have to kill a vampire, but Katherine knows a lot of people. So I wouldn't be surprised..."

"Let me think for a minute." Damon interrupted. He pushed the covers off of him revealing his bare chest and boxers. Elena allowed her eyes to linger a moment too long, and then turned away, embarrassed.

"I don't know what to do, though, if she's compelled."

"_Let me think, _Elena." Damon said quietly. He sat on the edge of his bed, honestly unsure of what to do. He always had a plan, even if it took awhile to come up with it, but tonight, he was completely thrown. He wondered how long Stefan had known he was in love with Katherine. He wasn't, he reminded himself. He was in love with Elena, but the idiot thought Katherine would have to do. He'd definitely gotten that sense from things. But it wasn't fair to Elena. He had promised himself he'd let Stefan have her, because he deserved her more. But since that fact was no longer true...

"We need another witch." Elena said matter-of-factly. Damon shook himself from his train of thought and glanced up at her. She looked beautiful, he noted, even with her messy hair.

"Why is that?" He asked darkly. "That's going to be pretty difficult."

"We'll just have to find one, Damon." Elena said angrily. "We can't let them get out of there if they want to kill you."

"Why does that matter?" He smirked.

"Don't ask stupid questions." She shot back.

"It's an honest question, Elena."

"Because I care about you, remember?"

"Right," he said sarcastically. "How could I forget?" He stood up and flipped on the light, which was dim enough not to blind them. Not modest at all, he stood in the middle of his room, yawning, not bothering to put on anymore clothes.

Elena flew at him the second she could see well enough. "You are so infuriating!" She shoved him up against the wall angrily.

"I let you do that," he said. "Just so you know."

"Just stop with this ridiculous tough guy act!"

He laughed. "Really, Elena?"

"Don't laugh at me." She told him. "I'll figure this out alone if I have to."

"Are you trying to threaten me or something?" He seemed slightly amused.

"Maybe."

"If you hate me so much, don't try to save me." He suggested.

"Don't say that."

"Why not?"

She was still in his face. He was still against the wall. She was only wearing a little blue tank top and black boy shorts. He was still in his underwear. It was as though she'd just realized how good he looked. She'd known him for awhile, and always accepted the fact that he was attractive, but never dwelled on it, because she was with Stefan. But now Stefan was with Katherine. And it wasn't like Elena wanted them both. She wanted nothing to do with Stefan, the liar. Stefan, the cheater. But Damon...

"I said, why not?" He repeated, smiling at her as if he could read her mind. She pushed the thoughts away, angry with herself.

"I told you, Damon," She said, stepping away from him. "Because I care about you. And don't act like you don't know it."

He wasn't sure if it would work, because he'd never tried it before, but he stepped closer to her and pulled her close, staring right into her eyes. "You will forget any compulsion ever used on you."


	5. Chapter 5

Elena felt shaky. All it took was one look at Damon to remember the night he'd come into her room, told her how he felt, and made her forget. Why had he made her forget? She was so angry. Why did she remember now? She didn't know that compulsion could be undone, yet, here she was, staring at Damon, who looked at her hopefully. She could pretend she didn't remember, but she could tell by the way he was looking at her that it was too late for that, he already knew.

"Elena..." His voice trailed off as he realized he had no idea what to say. He could tell by her expression, which showed partially horror, and partially some-emotion-he-couldn't-read.

"Why?" She asked. He gave her an odd look, wondering which part she wanted to know "why" about. Why he felt that way, why he'd made her forget, why he'd let her remember now...

"Why did you take that away?"

"I told you." He said. "I couldn't be selfish with you. I thought Stefan deserved you more. But I was wrong."

Elena stayed silent.

"Would it have made a difference anyway?" He asked.

"It would have a couple hours ago." She whispered.

"I don't just want to be your back-up plan, Elena." He shook his head, angry with himself for being so naive.

"It's not like that." She said. "I loved Stefan, but I always-"

The noise of a ringing phone filled the air. Her phone. Bonnie. She leapt away from Damon and ran down the hall, flipping it open quickly.

"Bonnie!"

"Hey, Elena," Bonnie sounded calm. "Why did you call so many times?"

"Did you go to the tomb today?"

Silence.

"Bonnie, I need you to be honest with me."

"Yes, Elena," Bonnie replied quietly. "I did. Katherine said that if I found her witch friend, and convinced her to help me get Stefan out of the tomb, which would get her out of the tomb, too, she'd kill a vampire I hated. A vampire who wanted to hurt you."

Elena felt sick to her stomach. "Did Stefan say anything?"

"He said the vampire needed to be killed, but he couldn't do it until he was out of there."

"They want to kill Damon, Bonnie."

"How do you know?" Elena could hear Bonnie's eyes narrow through the phone.

"I don't know, I just-"

"And even if they do," Bonnie added. "That would make the world a better place, right?"

"No, Bonnie, what are you-"

"They said he wants to hurt you."

"He doesn't, Bonnie."

"I believe it. He tried to kill me, Elena."

"Just, don't let them out of the tomb, please."

"I have to."

"Why? I thought you just wanted me to feel better, and trust me, I don't want Stefan back."

"Oh?" Bonnie laughed. "So Damon's keeping you satisfied?"

"What?"

"Never mind, then." Bonnie laughed more.

"Bonnie, stop it. I went there today, too, and Stefan's with Katherine now."

"Is this your way of justifying your relationship with Damon?"

"There's no relationship-"

"That's not what Stefan said."

"Now you believe Stefan over me, Bonnie?"

"I have to go."

"No, don't."

"I'm not doing anything for another few days, anyway. So you can stop worrying about coming to kidnap me tonight."

Elena felt cold suddenly. Very cold. "Bonnie-"

"Goodnight, Elena."

The line went dead. Elena felt more confused than she had before.

"I take it that didn't go very well?" A voice asked from the doorway. Elena sighed.

"Not at all."

"Want more shots?"

Elena normally turned such things down, but for some reason, she found herself downstairs taking more and more. Her vision was going fuzzy and she felt as though she was floating. Damon appeared to be drunk as well, the way he was laughing. She wasn't even sure what they were talking about. It had started about Bonnie, but then it had gone to Katherine and Stefan. And somehow, it had turned into a humorous conversation rather than a painful, heart breaking one.

"It's so late." Elena laughed, looking at the clock, which read 4:27 A.M.

"Not really." Damon shrugged, still chuckling. "But you can go to bed if you want."

She nodded, and headed up the stairs. He followed her closely. At the top of the stairs, she turned to him, smiling.

"Thanks for making me feel better." Again, she wrapped her arms around him in a hug. She was a bit wobbly from the alcohol and they both slid sideways together, which made her giggle. Her hand caught the wall and she leaned against it and hugged him again.

Damon had already decided he was never making the first move again, but in his drunken state, it was so hard not to. They were already so close, and she knew now. And he wanted to know what she was saying before Bonnie called, but he couldn't even remember where she was starting to go with her words. He had had way too much to drink. He never drank too much. Neither did she, he noted. She laughed and then placed her arms back at her sides. He did the same.

"Goodnight, Damon." She said, smiling.

But he wasn't ready for sleep. Slowly, he moved his face closer to hers. She kept smiling, and bit her lip lightly. He wasn't sure if she would kiss him back. He couldn't take the rejection again. His face hovered there for a few moments, and then Elena kissed him on the lips, hard. She pulled him closer to her, kissing harder. He shoved her further up the wall. She wound her legs around him.

He stumbled down the hall, still kissing her, and found his way into his room. He threw her down on his bed, and felt his desire for her grow at the sight of her there.

She opened her mouth as though she were going to point out that what they were doing was wrong, but Damon didn't want to hear it. He didn't want to lose her before he even got her. Unless of course he had no choice. He knelt down on his bed and kissed her lightly, asking for permission. She nodded, and then kissed him back just as passionately as before. They begun to rip at each other's clothes, pulling off what wasn't needed, which was everything. In a matter of minutes, they were both completely naked. It was Damon who hesitated then.

She looked so perfect the way she was, he couldn't believe it. But, she wasn't his. He felt a knot in his throat begin to grow. She was Stefan's and she had lay the very same way she was now right across the hall. With Stefan. He felt his stomach drop.

Elena touched his face with her hand. Gently. She raised her eyebrow at him, as though words wore obsolete, and they could communicate only with simple gestures. He half smiled back. And then they were kissing, and he forgot all about Stefan and his jealousy, and he felt amazing again. And then they were making love, and he forgot all about everything, and he felt more wonderful than he recalled ever feeling.

They lay beside each other for a few minutes without saying a word. Elena felt very sober. Damon felt very vulnerable. She wasn't sure what to make of what had just happened. He wasn't sure if he had just been used.

Breaking the tension, Damon rolled over and kissed her. She kissed back, just as passionately as she had before. "Goodnight Elena." He said with his usual smile.

"I love you too, Damon." She said quickly, before her fear got the best of her.

He paused, then kissed her again. "Good."

Elena felt better with him than she ever had with Stefan. It felt perfect. They had some kind of connection that couldn't be denied. And now there was nothing stopping them from being together. She wanted to thank Katherine for proving that Stefan was worthless, but she decided it wasn't necessary. She kissed Damon again and before she knew it, they were sleeping together again. But she didn't mind, despite how tired she was. Damon made her feel wonderful. And she loved him.

* * *

Stefan watched Katherine sleep as he drew in the dirt inside the tomb. She didn't look as cute as Elena did. She always appeared to be up to something. But, this time, he was too. Unfortunately, it was too late. He knew it was too late. Even without the device Bonnie had left, which he'd made the mistake of using all night. He wanted the courage to destroy it, but he couldn't bring himself to.

Katherine had laid it out for him well, though. He got back together with her, and she would help him get out, and help him keep Elena and Damon apart. He didn't agree at first though. But when she had said she was going to get out of the tomb either with him or without him, and had reminded him that she had been invited into Elena's house, he felt his mind begin to change. When Bonnie had come by, Katherine had told her she would kill Damon if Bonnie did a few things for them, which included helping the two of them out of the tomb, which would also help Bonnie, because it would help Elena.

Stefan didn't want to kill Damon at first, but his resentment had grown for his brother since Katherine had been explaining to him all about how easy it would be for him to be with Elena now that Stefan was out of the picture. But now that Elena had seen Stefan doing what had to be done to get out of the tomb, she would never forgive him. He had hoped she wouldn't let Damon comfort her, and she hadn't. At first.

Bonnie had spelled a device which allowed Stefan to see Elena at all times. What she was doing. Who she was with. And she was with Damon the whole night. At first, he was just jealous that he couldn't spend time with her, and horrified by what an awful person she seemed to think he was.

"She was going to kill you," He tried to tell her mentally. "She was going to kill your family."

But then he'd watched as Elena had kissed Damon. _Please stop there,_ he'd thought. _I can live with a kiss._

But then they'd been in bed. He had felt tears come to his eyes. Lots of them. They streamed down his face, but he still couldn't bring himself to turn off the device. Elena looked so happy, happier than she'd looked in a long time. So did Damon, but he didn't care about his happiness anymore. He was furious that Damon had done this to him.

Damon should have known he wouldn't sleep with Katherine for the hell of it. He should have known there was a reason. But he used it to his advantage.

Elena didn't know. It wasn't her fault. But he still felt pain. He knew she felt it too. Even sleeping with Katherine for a good reason was sleeping with Katherine. Instantly, he hated himself for the pain he caused her, and wished he could have just come up with his own plan.

They began to speak, and Stefan listened closely. His heart sunk. Elena had been lying to him the whole time. She hadn't loved him. She'd loved Damon. His stomach twisted into knots and he fell over in agony. She was just like Katherine. Who, incidentally, he decided, he was going to kill. Along with Damon and Elena, of course. But Katherine was closest.


	6. Chapter 6

Elena yawned as she awoke, stretching her long arms out lazily. The back of her hand hit something cold and she smiled. Skin. Vampire skin. Stefan.

_Damon_, she reminded herself suddenly, as the night's events came rushing back to her. Her face flushed bright red, and she jumped up. What had she done? Even though Stefan had done something horrible, that didn't mean she had to stoop to his level. But she wasn't. It was revenge. Or was it? She felt an awful, sick feeling growing in her stomach. Stefan would never forgive her. If she forgave him for what he did with Katherine, he would still never forgive her for what she did with Damon. And it wasn't like she could just switch to being with Damon. That made him seem like a back-up plan, which was all he could be, of course...

She shook her head. It was all too much to think of. The image of Katherine against the wall, in Stefan's arm, kissing passionately was burning into her mind. He looked more alive than he'd ever looked while he'd been dating Elena, and everyone seemed to be aware of it. Humiliation seared through her. What would everyone say when she told them? Or even if she didn't, when they figured it out? Quickly and quietly, she scurried for the door, pausing at the doorway for a moment to look at Damon sleeping peacefully. She enjoyed the sight of him for the very last time, and closed the door silently.

* * *

Stefan smiled as he watched Katherine sleep. She no longer looked so evil. She looked helpless. He licked his lips. Only a few more days, and Bonnie would arrive. Katherine began to twitch as she came around, and he leaned against the wall, feigning boredom.

"Good morning, Stefan." she said coyly as she stretched against the wall.

"Good morning, Katherine."

"I dreamt of you," she bit her lip and sauntered over to him. "It was a good dream..."

He kissed her and she kissed back, hungrily. The two shoved each other back and forth, roughly, as their clothes begin to fall off. Stefan couldn't help but wonder if he'd miss her. She _was_ very good at what they were doing, he noted. He smiled. He decided he wouldn't. This time was just for the sake of being the last time.

Katherine didn't seem to think so. She pulled her dirty dress back on after they slept together and grinned over at him. "I really did miss you, Stefan."

"I missed you too, Katherine."

A noise outside the tomb caused them both to jump to their feet, silently. They eyed each other suspiciously and then edged as close as they could to the opening of the tomb.

Luckily for Stefan, it seemed, Bonnie had arrived early. Luckier yet, she wasn't alone. Two attractive women, who resembled Bonnie a little more than slightly, were behind her.

"Don't look so alarmed." Bonnie said firmly. "I brought my cousins."

"You're early." Stefan said harshly.

"They wanted to get it over with."

"Over with?"

"It was hard to track them down, and even harder to convince them to help." Bonnie retorted. "But we seem to have come to an agreement." Her eyes glinted maliciously. Stefan caught a glimpse of something wooden in her coat. A stake. He grinned.

"Let's get it over with."

* * *

Damon awoke to find his bed empty. Feeling his panic beginning to take over, he leapt up and ran for the door.

_No, no, no, _he thought helplessly to himself. He ran to her door. Pulled it open. No bag. No nothing. He kicked the wall, unaware of the giant hole he was leaving. Storming down the stairs, he tried to figure out what had gone wrong. Everything was exactly as he'd left it. All that was missing was her.

Quickly, he poured himself a cup of blood and downed it instantly. Deciding to have another cup or two for good measure, he tried to get a grip on himself. But he was humiliated. Hurt, even. He shuddered at the very thought.

He could feel his mental switch as though it were concrete, right in front of him. Smooth. Delicate. Easy. It would be so simple to flip the switch. It would be over so quickly...

_One day, it will have to come back on,_ he reminded himself darkly. _And then you'll be in much worse shit than you are now._

He'd just move to a new town. Forget. He wouldn't make the same mistake he'd made before. He'd let go. Carefully, he set his empty cup down on the counter. On a piece of paper. Confused, he picked it up. It hadn't been there before. After unfolding it, cautiously, he read it. Then he read it again to make sure he hadn't misread or imagined anything. He hadn't. It was all there, in messy handwriting.

"Take her. Run."

* * *

"Elena!" Jenna said happily as Elena wandered through the front door. "How was Bonnie's house?"

_Compulsion._ Elena hated it, even when she knew it was necessary. It made her sick.

"Great!" Elena smiled. "It was great."

Jeremy was eyeing her suspiciously from the stairs. Elena quickly reached him, pulling him towards her room, and shutting the door so Jenna wouldn't hear anything.

"You're home really soon, and I don't see Stefan."

She shrugged. "Jeremy..."

"Don't lie." He snapped. He was sick of being the last to know everything, and having to snoop to find it out at all.

Elena bit her lip. She knew she couldn't lie, but she also knew this wasn't the kind of thing you were supposed to tell your little brother about. So she simplified opened her mouth and gave the simplified version.

"Stefan's with Katherine now. He doesn't want to leave the tomb anymore."

"What?" He seemed thoroughly surprised. "I always thought if anything like that happened, it would be you and-" He paused awkwardly. "Never mind."

Elena wanted to laugh, but at the same time, she could feel tears blossoming in her eyes. "There's something else I need to do now."

"Which is?"

She felt terrible, but she could already feel the lie forming on her tongue. "I need to get away for awhile. I can't believe Stefan would do this to me, and I'm not ready to face everyone yet."

Jeremy just hugged her. He didn't speak. She smiled; he was a wonderful brother. And when he learned the truth, she hoped he wouldn't hold it against her.

"I'm sorry, Elena."

"It's okay." She said quietly. "I love you, Jeremy."

He laughed lightly. "Love you too."

She smiled and grabbed a few new things for her bag before heading downstairs to say her final goodbye.

* * *

The day had gone better than expected, and Stefan couldn't help but smile as he replayed the events mentally.

The three witches stood there chanting, casting a spell to let him and Katherine out of the tomb. He walked out slowly, cautiously, dragging Katherine along with him, despite her hissing that they weren't to be trusted and should just leave the tomb open.

"Close it now." He instructed calmly, ignoring her.

Bonnie raised an eyebrow. "You want it closed? So something like this can happen again?"

"You never know when you might need it."

Katherine rolled her eyes. "Oh, Stefan, always being too careful." As if in protest, she stepped backwards into the tomb. Stefan stared at her, wondering if the witches were going to close it with her inside. Normally, he wouldn't have minded, but he had other plans for her. Katherine reached her long, slender arm out and grabbed Bonnie, pulling her inside.

"I just don't think we should close it." She said with a smile as she stroked Bonnie's neck where it seemed she wanted to bite.

"Katherine," Stefan said angrily. "This really isn't the time."

The other two witches ran for the tomb opening, but Katherine quickly disappeared further inside.

"I wouldn't go in there." Stefan told them, frustrated. Katherine was always messing things up with her blood lust.

It was silent for a few minutes. The cousins listened for any signs of a struggle, but there was no noise except whispering that none of them could make out.

"Really, if she was going to hurt her, she would do it in front of all of us." Stefan assured them. "That's how she works."

"How comforting." One of Bonnie's cousins rolled her eyes.

"I hate vampires." The other said quietly.

Stefan glared at her, and she glared back. "That's awfully hateful of you to say."

She didn't respond.

After several minutes, the two girls were walking out of the tomb, one looking very accomplished, and one very nervous.

"Bonnie's managed to change my mind." Katherine said with a laugh. "We can throw Damon down here and let him rot. Just like he was going to do to me." She ran her fingers down Stefan's arm and he jerked away reflexively. Looking insulted, she pouted and turned towards the witches.

"Go ahead, then." Stefan snapped.

They chanted again, and after several minutes, nodded to indicate that it was done. Her cousins looked exhausted, but Bonnie walked over to Stefan as though she had all the energy in the world.

"I'm sorry." She said.

"So am I." He smiled.

"Why?" She asked quickly, faltering, and backing away.

"You first." He chuckled.

"I talked to Elena last night. I heard about you and this nasty little-"

"Hey." Katherine glared at her.

"Yes," Stefan looked amused. "Katherine and I are together."

"You don't deserve her. You don't deserve to be anything to her. And I don't trust you."

He laughed.

"Your turn." She said icily.

"Because," Stefan replied calmly. "I need to kill you if I'm going to get to Elena's house and kill her."

Bonnie lunged at him, whipping the stake out of her coat. "You!"

Effortlessly, he knocked it away and quickly, he and Katherine each snapped Bonnie's cousins' necks. Bonnie screamed as the vampires laughed together.

Katherine seemed in awe of Stefan. She laced her arms around his neck and kissed him.

Bonnie stared, horrified. Tears were forming in her eyes, but she quickly grabbed a piece of paper from her pocket and began to scribble something on it while chanting.

"Hey." Stefan jerked away from Katherine once more. "What do you think you're doing?"

Temporarily, he'd been worried that she might have had another stake. But, with all the obnoxious chanting, it was pretty clear she didn't.

"Stupid witches," laughed Katherine. "No back-up plan."

Stefan had to admit, Katherine was smart. She always had twenty six plans, one for every letter of the alphabet. But she still had ruined everything for him. Everything.

"That's what you think."

_Feisty_, Stefan thought, amused. _Very feisty for someone who's about to die._

"I sent a message to Damon." She yelled. "So now you're going to start running out of time."

He shrugged, and snapped her neck.

"What's gotten into you, Stefan?" Katherine smiled. "I like this new side of you. We'll have so much fun together."

He laughed, picking up the stake from the ground. "I hope you have a back-up plan."

There was no one around for miles, so no one heard as Katherine screamed.


	7. Chapter 7

**Just wanted to say thanks to the people who took the time to review! I'm sorry this chapter is so short. I'll try to finish this tonight. I have a lot more written, I just need to type it up.**

* * *

Elena touched her bare neck, feeling the anxiety grow inside her. Her necklace was gone. She wasn't sure exactly how long it had been, consider how distracted she'd been for the past day or so. It easily could have slipped off. But that meant she could have been compelled at some point in the last twenty-four hours. Biting her lip, she couldn't help but know she hadn't been. But one could never be too sure.

Frustrated, she trekked up the stairs. She hadn't even made it out the door yet, and time was running out. If she couldn't find it in her room, she'd just have to leave it behind and take her chances. She opened her bedroom door.

Damon sat on her bed, fidgeting. She'd never seen him look so anxious.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, embarrassed.

"I could ask you the same thing." He said sarcastically, trying to appear more okay than he really was.

"I'm sorry." She mumbled. "I just panicked."

"That makes me feel loads better." He rolled his eyes. "Fortunately, this isn't the time for this conversation."

Elena raised an eyebrow.

"I think," he said slowly, digging into his pocket. "that you might want to see this."

He placed the note on the bed and she glanced at it for only a second before turning away. She was startled. "Bonnie's handwriting."

"She sent this to _me_." Damon said. "I don't know why. But she didn't want you to run off alone or _unprotected_." It was as though he were reminding her of his promise to Stefan, reminding her that, whether she liked it or not, he was going to keep her safe.

"I'll call her." Elena suggested, whipping out her cell phone and pressing Bonnie's speed dial.

Damon scoffed and calmly took her phone away, closing it. "If there was time to call, I'm thinking she would have contacted me a more convenient way. And explained a tad bit more."

Elena paused. He was right. Was it Klaus? Did he find Bonnie? _Hurt_ her? She wasn't sure how she could handle that.

"What are we even supposed to be running from?" Elena asked exasperatedly, sliding down onto the bed beside Damon.

"Well," he smirked. "Not people we just slept with."

Her cheeks burned at his boldness. "Damon. I said I was sorry."

"Before we just disappear together, which we will be doing in approximately..." he glanced at the clock. "Five minutes, can you just explain to me what exactly is going on?"

Elena considered telling him how she really felt. Like Katherine. Evil. Twisted. But since they were going to be on the run together, she decided, she had nothing to lose. She kissed him.

This seemed to be the exact answer he was looking for. He kissed her back intensely, holding her face in his hands.

And then, just as quickly, he pulled away. "As much as I'd like to keep this up all day..."

"My bags are packed, and I've already said goodbye." Elena said formally, standing up. "So now there's just one thing."

"And what might that be?"

"My necklace." She said. "It's missing."

"_Great._" Damon sighed in his usual cocky manner. "It's not in here?"

She glanced around. Her room was clean, and there was no sign of it. She shook her head.

"Then let's check the boarding house." He said.

She nodded. He swung her bag over his shoulder, awkwardly snatched her hand, smiling when she didn't pull it away, and lead her outside.

* * *

Jeremy angrily burst out of Elena's closet. She lied. He had no idea what had actually gone on, but she'd certainly left out a key part. He knew she hadn't just been leaving to "get away". Elena wasn't that type of person. He shook his head. How stupid did she think he was? Holding her necklace tightly in his palm, he headed for the tomb.


	8. Chapter 8

**I know some of this has been controversial, and it's going to get more so in this chapter. Just a warning. Thanks again for reading and reviewing!**

* * *

Stefan felt like a new person. He felt alive, though he chuckled at the irony of it. He had already drained three people of their blood.

He felt his lips curl into a smile as he saw a small girl standing near the road he was approaching. She was brunette, about 5'2", 90 pounds, and probably no older than Elena.

"Lost?" He asked kindly, approaching her slowly.

The girl sniffled and nodded. "My boyfriend and I got into a fight, and he just _left me here._" She broke down into sobs. "Why would he do that to me?"

"That's horrible." Stefan said, patting her on the back lightly. "I'm not sure why..."

"I don't know!" She wailed.

He lifted her face up carefully and wiped away some of her tears.

"You will let me drain your body of blood. You'll remain perfectly calm. You won't run, and you won't scream."

"Okay." She smiled.

* * *

The necklace wasn't anywhere in the boarding house. Damon and Elena had practically torn the entire place apart trying to find it, and it was beginning to seem rather hopeless.

"Where else could you have lost it?" Damon snapped, frustratedly, throwing his pillows across the room.

Feeling hurt, Elena just shook her head. "I don't know. The tomb?"

He groaned and hit his fist against the wall, not hard enough to break it. "Let's go."

* * *

"Katherine."

"Jeremy."

He could still feel where she had bit his neck. Drained his blood. He cringed at the thought.

The tables certainly seemed to have turned. Katherine lay on the ground, a stake through her stomach, not her chest. It was as though someone wanted her to suffer for a long time before she died. He couldn't blame them.

He watched her writhe in pain. He considered killing her instantly, so she didn't have a chance to escape. The world would be a better place without her. A much better place.

But he couldn't help but wonder if this was what Anna had looked like as she was dying. And Vicki. He felt anger rise up inside of him, and pain, so much pain. He missed them both, but it was mostly Anna he felt sorrow for. He turned back to Katherine.

"Aren't you going to kill me?" She asked, much too calmly for someone who couldn't lay still because she was in so much agony.

"Not yet."

"Oh?" She smiled. "Why's that?"

"I need to know some things." He said firmly, glaring down at her. "and if you cooperate, I'll help you."

She looked at him testily. "We'll see."

"Where's Stefan?"

Katherine laughed shrilly. "Probably at your house by now."

"Elena's not there."

"Really? Where is she?"

Jeremy didn't answer. "So Stefan wasn't really with _you_."

"Oh, yes he was." Katherine smirked. "We just got into little disagreement." She gestured to the stake.

"Stefan did this to you." It wasn't a question.

"Who else?" Her eyes glinted.

"How'd you even get out of the tomb?" Jeremy demanded, suddenly realizing something was very, very wrong.

Katherine laughed again.

"Bonnie."

"But she's not strong enough."

"She is with her two cousins."

"How'd she find them?"

"Guess she was determined."

"But why? Bonnie hates vampires."

"We made her a deal she couldn't refuse."

Jeremy suddenly felt sick. "Where is she now?"

* * *

Stefan shook the device angrily. He knew Bonnie was tricky, but he didn't know she was this tricky. It was supposed to show him where Elena was at all times, and what she was doing. It appeared, though, as if it only worked in the tomb. Which, he knew, was useless, because the tomb had been closed again. Angrily, he kicked it. It shattered as it hit the road. He licked his lips and headed for the boarding house. It was the only place that really made sense.

"This song?" Damon laughed. "You like this song?"

"Yes," Elena insisted. "It's good."

"You have _the worst_ taste in music." He flipped the radio to a different station and she laughed.

"Whatever you say."

The car eased along the road as they headed for the tomb. Damon rested his hand on Elena's thigh as he guided the car through the streets. She leaned back against the passenger seat and closed her eyes.

"Where are we going to go?" She asked.

"You'll see." He responded, not even taking time to consider telling her.

"How long will we stay there?"

"Not long."

"We don't even know who's after us."

"You," Damon corrected. "Who's after you. And, no, we don't."

"Then how do we know who to trust?"

"Elena," Damon turned to stare her directly in the eyes. "Don't trust anyone."

She hesitated, and then nodded.

"Except me." He added.

She nodded again, the severity of things beginning to set in on her. Someone was after her. She had no idea who, let alone why. She and Damon were alone. They couldn't seek out anyone else's help, because they couldn't trust anyone else. She desperately wanted to find Bonnie and Caroline and beg them to come along, but she wasn't even sure if they were still alive. Or if they were compelled. Or on her side at all. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. The worst of it all was that Stefan was gone. She hadn't wanted to admit it, but she missed him. No one could stay with someone for that long and not miss them when they were gone. Especially when there was no real closure, just the image of Katherine against the wall, and Stefan holding her up, the two of them barely clothed. She shivered. She hated him.

"You okay?" Damon raised an eyebrow.

"I'm fine." Elena assured him.

"Of course you're not fine," He rolled his eyes. "Elena, I'm not an idiot."

She faked a smile. "You're right."

"We'll figure this out."

She nodded.

"We will."

* * *

"Bonnie!"

Silence.

"Bonnie!"

Jeremy screamed at the top of his lungs, running through the tomb. Katherine had said she was in there. Katherine lied. Katherine hurt Bonnie. His thoughts flew through his head quickly.

"Bonnie!"

"Jeremy." Her voice was barely audible. He glanced down at the ground. She was sitting against the wall, staring at her feet. "Stop yelling."

"Bonnie, are you okay?" He knelt down.

"Just go away, Jeremy."

"No," He shook his head. "No, don't start this with me again. I was so worried about you. I thought Katherine killed you."

"_Katherine_ didn't kill me." Bonnie said darkly.

Jeremy gave her a questionable look. "Do you have a ring too?"

"No, Jeremy," Bonnie sighed. "I don't have a ring."

"Then how are you still alive," he hesitated. "If you got killed?"

Bonnie was silent for several moments. Jeremy wanted to hug her, hold her close to him, make her feel better. He didn't need to understand right now, although he desperately wanted to.

He touched her face and leaned down towards her and she immediately looked up, eyes wide, mouth red.

"The same way Katherine is." She finally answered before digging her teeth into Jeremy's neck.


End file.
